Realty bill in RS as homebuyers turn up the heat

Noida: In its battle to push the RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) bill to be tabled and passed by Parliament in the ongoing Budget session, representatives of ‘Fight for RERA’, an umbrella group launched by several NCR homebuyers associations, said it found it had become a pawn in the hands of political parties.The buyers’ group, including close to 100 buyers from Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and other cities from across India, met BJP MP Mahesh Sharma in Noida late on Tuesday night.Late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Union urban development minister, Venkaiah Naidu, met the buyers’ group and promised the bill will be tabled and passed by Rajya Sabha on Thursday.But the builders’ lobby, which issued a statement that even if the Act is passed, it should not be implemented retrospectively, may have already put a spanner in the works.”The urban development minister told us he has been pushing to get the bill tabled over the past three days, and told us the matter is most likely going to be tabled in Parliament on Thursday,” said Abhishek Kumar, president, Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA) and Fight for RERA member.”Soon after we met the Union minister, we were called by the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), whose president Ajay Maken declared his party will sit down to protest from Monday if RERA is not tabled. We feel between BJP and Congress, we’re being tossed like a football. Us buyers have become a political tool.

We’re getting victimised by all,” said Indrish Gupta, co-member of Fight for RERA.Soon after the buyers met Congress leaders, Naidu posted three tweets, assuring homebuyers the RERA bill will be tabled and passed by Parliament on Thursday.”We’ve been working on it for months. If it’s not tabled in this session, there could be a great delay yet again. But we’ve been assured it shall be taken up by Parliament on Thursday.